The following stories were written by alumni and parents of alumni of Les Bons Samaritains (The Good Samaritains) primary school in Saint-Marc, Haiti, founded by the Mortel High Hopes for Haiti Foundation. The stories have been pulled from a book written by Dr. Rodrigue Mortel, founder and president of the Mortel HHH Foundation. We have included recent updates on the alumni and their careers.
LBS students are hand-selected from the poorest of the poor families in the surrounding community in order to give opportunity to those most in need. The students' tuition is paid through sponsorships and donations to the Mortel HHH Foundation.
Because these families live in such poverty and education is a coveted commodity, the foundation found that some families would sell their child's admission. To ensure the students most in need – those who have been carefully chosen by the foundation's staff – are being enrolled, the foundation began taking photos of the selected children to attend.
Both the words of these alumni and their continued success are a testament to the astounding impact the Mortel HHH Foundation schools have made on these students and the trajectory of their lives.
Johnson Cirius, '15
I am the son of a market woman and a teacher. Growing up, my modest childhood always served as a source of motivation and determination. Miserable lodging, hunger, loneliness, and many other setbacks combined to make life difficult.
The troubles of my life led me to the Good Samaritans school whose mission is to serve the poor – the economically, socially, and intellectually deprived children.
Shy and timid in my adolescence, I didn’t have many friends, but those I had were the best. Words fail me in explaining the happiness these friends brought me, whether they were Haitians or Americans.
My time at the Good Samaritans school was spent striving daily to live up to its reputation as a Good Samaritan, sometimes leaving behind friends who meant the world to me. When I advanced to James Stine College, I had to get used to school without some of my good friends, but I made new friends with whom I got along as well. As the years passed at James Stine, I made great memories despite life’s difficulties. Within all my dreams and ambitions, I strive constantly to be a Good Samaritan like Dr. Mortel, [Bishop] Constant and many other generous people like the Sisters of St. Joseph de Cluny, the Clerics of St. Viateur as well as all of the teachers who worked with me from kindergarten through high school.
Cirius is currently studying English in Florida and hopes to become a CEO. He attended the last Mortel HHH Foundation in-person event in February 2020 before COVID-19 hit and sponsored a student in the foundation's preschool, bringing his story around full circle.
Josue Jean François, '15
I am the oldest child in my family, and since I was a baby, I caused my parents much worry. When I was five years old, I had the chance to be admitted to the Good Samaritans school, and that was the beginning of my favorite part of my life. I made new friends and followed the instructions given by the teachers. It was the start of my love of learning. In pursuing my studies, I paid nearly nothing thanks to donors who supported my studies with the help of the Mortel Foundation, to whom I owe so much.
At the beginning, the fact that someone was financially supporting my studies didn’t have much effect on me, but as I got older, I realized that these supporters – even if I didn’t know who they were – were like parents to me, and I took that to heart.
I want to become a doctor – a great doctor – and use my position to help the weakest like many have done for me.
My message is this: give in return for all that you have received.
Jean François is currently attending medical school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, working toward becoming a great doctor who will give back to those most in need.
Roselanda Therzy, '15
I come from a family where daily life was a struggle. My mother’s name is Mirlande and my father, who is deceased, was named Rosemond. I have two sisters, Rose-Vasty and Guetie.
It was my mother who worked in the market to try to afford school for me and my sisters. During the early years of schooling, I encountered a lot of difficulty – nights without sleep to study and work. I suffered much during these years but resigned myself to study and work without eating when my mother couldn’t afford to feed us.
Thanks to Dr. Mortel who founded the Good Samaritans school, my mother’s burdens were eased. When I was at the Good Samaritans school, the food and education I received allowed my mother to use what little money she made to help my sisters eat and go to school since she didn’t always have enough money to support us all every day. I was very lucky when I went to school. I spent ten great years at the Good Samaritans school, and I am so proud now to say that I am an alumna of this school.
After ten years at the Good Samaritans school, I attended James Stine Collage, and I had difficulty fitting in with my new classmates. It took months for me to adapt. At the beginning there were even students who didn’t want to befriend students from the Good Samaritans school, saying that it was a school for the poor and that we weren’t smart. But we showed them that we were also intelligent as we worked hard to succeed. Despite what some said during that first year at James Stine College, I was never discouraged because I knew what I wanted. I could only attend James Stine College as a former Good Samaritans student because my mother could never afford to send me there.
Therzy currently teaches at the Mortel HHH Foundation Patricia Chairs Preschool, helping the youngest generation of Haitians find the best in themselves and their futures.
Cedner Honorable, '15
I am the son of a tailor and a farmer. Growing up in St. Marc, at age five, I began kindergarten at the Good Samaritans school where the costs of schooling were paid for by foreign supporters. This school was my destiny since my parents didn’t have enough money to pay for my education.
Shy but well-behaved, I completed all of my primary education there, working hard and making friends with my classmates and with Americans who visited.
When I finished at Good Samaritans school, I had to leave many friends behind as I continued my studies at James Stine College. It was at James Stine College where I learned to overcome my shyness… Now, I want to study medicine and become a doctor like Dr. Mortel and like other members of the foundation. I want to become a Good Samaritan to help others in need.
Honorable went on to attend medical school outside of Haiti, working toward his goal of becoming a doctor to help others and become a Good Samaritan.
Loveson Ainé, '17
I am one of twelve children in my family. My mother worked in the market and my father is a farmer. I was raised in St. Marc by one of my older sisters. When I was five years old, I was given the opportunity to attend the Good Samaritans school where I completed my primary education. Then I continued my studies at James Stine from 2011 to 2017.
During my fourteen years of classical studies, I was supported by a sponsorship program of the Mortel Foundation. Because of this, I took my education very seriously in order to succeed academically. I always worked hard to achieve my goals, and I have always wanted to continue my studies abroad to make a name for myself.
Ainé went on to attend a university in Haiti, successfully advancing in his academic career.
Nesly Sterling, '17
I came from a poor family as the sixth of seven children. In 2001, I was orphaned, as my mother passed away. That same year I enrolled into the Good Samaritans school, a school that welcomed the poor and destitute.
I suffered a difficult childhood. My first day of school, I didn’t have my mother to comfort and support me, so one of my aunts stood in her place. I was looking forward to school, but once I got there, I sobbed because for the first time I was away from home and surrounded by strangers. Little by little, I adjusted and found myself in a real school family where I was surrounded by brothers and sisters like me. This became a real turning point in my life.
From 2001 to 2011, I spent ten years in this school. There were the best ten years of my life. Then in October of 2011, I transferred to James Stine College to continue my secondary studies. I spent six years there, five of which were the most difficult of my life as I encountered different types of people – wealthy children whose parents were political leaders, policemen, and many others – who mocked me.
In July 2017, I completed my classical studies in hopes of embarking on further studies or a new professional journey. This is my dream, but my family cannot afford to support these next steps. No matter where I go, I am proud to say that I am an alumnus of the Good Samaritans school…
Sterling went on to work for a water company in Saint-Marc, Haiti. He recently relocated in search of a new job and in hopes of creating a better life for his family.
Acerneau Aurelus, '17
I am twenty years old and come from a poor family where I’m the oldest. My mother was the sole provider for our family as a housekeeper.
I remember well when I was of school age, but because of financial reasons I was not in school. I was playing in the street and suddenly some adults caught up with me and took my photo. From this day on was the beginning of a new me, like a newborn child.
This was an opportunity that the Mortel Foundation gave me. I began school and was given all the necessary school supplies. We were given breakfast each morning and a hot meal for lunch. To be poor and attend this school opened my mind and gave me everything. I went through all of my primary studies at Good Samaritans school and then my secondary studies at James Stine College, with hopes of continuing on to university with the support of the foundation. I want to study computer science.
Thanks to the knowledge I gained at the Good Samaritans school, I’ve been able to start my first business (Young Aurelus) where I do digital paintings and graphic design… I will work every day for a happy life so that my children don’t have to go through what I’ve gone through. I want to invest my time in helping the weakest in my town and in my whole country in the same way that I was helped.
Aurelus is pursuing graphic design with his own business, Young Aurelus, and works as a content creator at Haiti Partners, a nonprofit that empowers Haitians through education to make positive change in their nation.
Adeline Felisca, '17
My mother, Erana, died when I was two, and my father was an alcoholic.
From 1996 to 2002, I lived in a very poor area of town. I didn’t attend school, but God sent me a Good Samaritan, named Dr. Mortel, who gave me the opportunity to attend his school, the Good Samaritans school. I love this school where I completed my primary education.
If I continue my studies, it’s thanks to Dr. Mortel and his beautiful school along with all the teachers that helped me. I was the first student enrolled in the Good Samaritans school by Mrs. Lafortune and Mrs. Dinah. I toy with the idea of one day have a school of my own that welcomes needy children.
Felisca was originally part of the class of 2017 but finished secondary school elsewhere. She is currently employed as an aide at the Patricia Chairs Preschool while she continues her studies to become a preschool teacher. Felisca is also recently married and just had a son.
Leonce Joseph, a grateful parent
Mrs. Leonce Joseph, whose daughter Emula was a student at LBS, spoke at the fifteenth anniversary celebration of the school. Here is some of what she said:
"Except for family, school is the oldest institution, the social group the most indispensable to mankind. It is the epicenter of education and the extension of the family unit. In other words, school is a mandatory step in life.
"Indeed, the literacy level of a nation is an indication of that nation’s values. Consequently, as parents, we claim that, likewise, a society is as good as the value it gives to education…
Dr. Rodrigue Mortel, the founder, the man with the vision, we have not found words strong enough to thank you and express our gratitude. But in his infinite love, the Lord will save a special place for you in his kingdom. You have achieved what no one before you could accomplish in this city… But thanks to your dynamism and your administrative ability, our school has become what it is today, a school of reference where the fundamental right to education and health care as well as the need to feed the children are respected and carried out. In our school nothing is missing."
They are the hope. They are the future.
"Whether we are hearing from the student or the parent, we find people motivated by gratitude, accomplishment, and a strong sense of a role in a society that once seemed to have no place for them. This is the new generation that is finding its place, preparing to lead Haiti."
- Dr. Mortel
To donate to the Mortel HHH Foundation, click here.